By choosing to post the reply below you agree to the rules you agreed to when joining Sailnet.
Click Here to view those rules.

Message:

Trackback:

Send Trackbacks to (Separate multiple URLs with spaces) :

Post Icons

You may choose an icon for your message from the following list:

No icon

Register Now

In order to be able to post messages on the SailNet Community forums, you must first register. Please enter your desired user name, your email address and other required details in the form below.Please note: After entering 3 characters a list of Usernames already in use will appear and the list will disappear once a valid Username is entered.

User Name:

Password

Please enter a password for your user account. Note that passwords are case-sensitive.

Password:

Confirm Password:

Email Address

Please enter a valid email address for yourself.

Email Address:

Log-in

User Name

Remember Me?

Password

Human Verification

In order to verify that you are a human and not a spam bot, please enter the answer into the following box below based on the instructions contained in the graphic.

Click here to view the posting rules you are bound to when clicking the'Submit Reply' button below

Additional Options

Miscellaneous Options

Automatically parse links in text

Automatically embed media (requires automatic parsing of links in text to be on).

Automatically retrieve titles from external links

Click here to view the posting rules you are bound to when clicking the'Submit Reply' button below

Topic Review (Newest First)

01-02-2014 09:42 AM

boatpoker

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

Quote:

Originally Posted by SloopJonB

Why not? How far away must they be separated?

As Mitiempo said "gassing". Batteries produce hydrogen gas when charging. Hydrogen is lighter than air, corrosive and explosive. Not a good thing to be feeding into your charger.

01-02-2014 09:17 AM

Maine Sail

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitiempo

You can but the off gassing from the batteries will corrode its internals and its life will be shortened. Assuming flooded batteries of course. In a separate compartment works well if the batteries are still close to the charger.

If the charger is not also "IP" or ignition protection rated then it is not advised to mount it even in close proximity. This charger is IP32 rated but still not advisable to mount one in a battery compartment, if it can be avoided...

"True Charge 2

This battery charger is ignition protected
equipment, so it can be installed in areas
containing gasoline tanks or fittings which require
ignition-protected equipment. Nevertheless, Xantrex
recommends that it is safest not to install any kind of
electrical equipment including the Truecharge2 Battery
Charger in these areas.

The Truecharge2 Battery Charger should be installed as
close as possible to the batteries, but not in the same
compartment to prevent corrosion. Avoid excessive cable
lengths and use the recommended wire sizes. Xantrex
recommends installing with cables sized to achieve less
than 3% voltage drop on battery cables under full load.
This will maximize the performance of the charger."

01-02-2014 09:07 AM

Maine Sail

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

Quote:

Originally Posted by mad_machine

Properly sized, wire can get warm, but never hot enough to burn

There are however caveats...

Until you have high resistance...... I see "properly sized" melted and burned wire all the time due to high resistance....

Until you have a dead short.... Fire a dead short from a battery bank into an unfused but otherwise properly sized wire and it will go to flames...

01-02-2014 03:52 AM

mitiempo

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

You can but the off gassing from the batteries will corrode its internals and its life will be shortened. Assuming flooded batteries of course. In a separate compartment works well if the batteries are still close to the charger.

01-02-2014 03:38 AM

SloopJonB

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

Quote:

Originally Posted by boatpoker

You cannot mount a charger over batteries.

Why not? How far away must they be separated?

01-01-2014 11:32 AM

pdqaltair

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

I boils down to the need for physical protection; if the locker could have traffic or storage, something must be done, if not, it only makes troubleshooting take longer. Last longer? If there are enough straps, the wire will last as long as the boat unless physically damaged. Comparing the vibration on a car with a boat is apples to hand grenades. The other reasons wire is loomed on a car is manufacture and maintenance; manufacture goes faster and mechanics are kept out of the bundles. They can also consult the manual and know what is in the bundle and where things go. Totally different.

That said, I've loomed wires a few places, where they are outside dedicated panels or voids. Sometimes a physical cover or guard is an even better idea, if stuff can shift of a person fall.

01-01-2014 08:41 AM

MarkSF

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

Well I looked around, and Bristol ran most of the 110V lines inside the plastic conduit, so I think I should be OK adding it to this part of the 110V line. Maybe I should check how warm it's getting, next time the fan heater is on and drawing 15A.

01-01-2014 05:00 AM

mad_machine

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

Quote:

Originally Posted by newhaul

Auto makers do it every day just make sure wires are correct sized for their load. The hi volt wires (110 here) are better not in closed they develops more heat to disapate. Homes here don't put them in plastic wire looms like that.

Homes are built as cheaply as possible.. but in areas that will see exposed use, wires are enclosed in metal conduit all the time.. either rigid or flexible. The point is though, there are not many wires in that conduit.. most times just a ground, neutral, and a hot.. maybe, just maybe, two separate circuits.

Properly sized, wire can get warm, but never hot enough to burn

12-28-2013 12:23 PM

MarkSF

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

Well the references I've found, state directly over the batteries. It's debatable whether mine is directly over...;-)

The outputs aren't fused, either!

Well Rome was not built in a day, as they say.

12-28-2013 09:16 AM

boatpoker

Re: Use of conduit to tidy up cables

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkSF

Good idea, and thankfully I achieved it by accident! NMEA and radio antenna never run together, by pure luck.

Here's the finished result. I wish I could do something better with the NMEA 2000. Simnet is such a better system, much neater to wire. (and I have a Simnet network plugged into the NMEA 2000 one, works perfectly)

Now I just have to figure out if having the Xantrex charger chassis grounded to the engine heat exchanger (yes, you read correctly) is a good thing!

There should be only one DC negative ground on the engine, I'm guessing you have more than one if the heat exchanger is involved.

Is that white thing in the bottom of the photo a battery box ? if so, either it or the charger has to be moved. You cannot mount a charger over batteries.

This thread has more than 10 replies.
Click here to review the whole thread.